


Rollerblading on the LoveRink

by ShadowCrusade



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, First Dates, M/M, No Beta, RWBY Secret Valentine 2021, Rollerblades & Rollerskates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, ill die on the rink before i ask for any help, penny and ruby being cute af, the solidarity we needed, while qrow and clover flirt in the background
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29421303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowCrusade/pseuds/ShadowCrusade
Summary: When Qrow has to chaperone Ruby, things are bit crazy. Ruby's nervous for her first date and Qrow's dreading the inevitable doom of being a third wheel. Although, maybe this Valentine's, will go better than expected.
Relationships: Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	Rollerblading on the LoveRink

**Author's Note:**

  * For [idontbelieveinmountains](https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontbelieveinmountains/gifts).



> Dusty!!!!! This for you fam!!!!!

Qrow was many things. An adventurer, a thrill-seeker, a bit of a goofball, but most importantly, a dedicated uncle. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his nieces, especially his youngest niece. The two of them were like two peas in a pod. She always depended on her uncle for just about anything before she would depend on her father. 

Although, at this moment, Qrow wondered if it wasn’t too late to turn her affection away towards Taiyang. 

“Please Uncle Qrow! Will you come with me to the roller skating rink?” Ruby begged. Her silver eyes brightened with anticipation. 

“For the love of gods, please explain to me why your dad can’t do this?” Qrow asked. He needed an explanation. Even though he already knew what the answer was.

Ruby sighed, annoyed as she rolled her eyes. “Dad can’t go since he already promised Yang that he would go with her to meet Blake’s parents this Sunday. They’re gonna have a cute Valentine’s dinner date! Remember?” 

He wished he didn’t. 

“Okay, kiddo, you’re seventeen years old. Why do I need to chaperone you on _your_ date?”

“Dad said so.” Really, that was the only valid reason she needed. Taiyang could be protective for his daughters, even though they could damn well take care of themselves just fine. 

“Fine, but only for a couple of hours, and then go watch a movie because I do not want to be third-wheeling with you the whole time.” Qrow sighed as his niece gasped with excitement. 

She almost knocked him down as she gave him one of her famous bear hugs. “Thanks Uncle Qrow!” She darted away to her room at break-neck speed, no doubt to share the information with her date. Qrow sighed and was about to resume his task on hand when...

“Uncle Qrow! Do you think we can go shopping for a new outfit for Sunday?!”

The things he would do for Ruby. 

* * *

The week went on and soon, Taiyang and Yang had left early Friday to take their trip to Anima. Evidently, the two parties agreed to meet at a halfway point that they were familiar with to go on this Valentine’s date/mini vacation. The two blondes would be gone for a few days. Which Taiyang had dutifully reminded Qrow as he packed, on the way to the car, and on the way to the airport. 

Qrow couldn’t get rid of Taiyang fast enough at the airport. 

Shopping day came and went and Ruby was finally satisfied with her new outfit for her date (which took hours of shopping). Qrow, of course, sent Taiyang a million photos of Ruby who was praised for the adorable outfit. At the same time, he was getting a thousand messages from Taiyang to absolutely decimate anyone that approached his youngest daughter with less than innocent thoughts. 

Honestly, parenthood was its own dynamic. 

Sunday morning, his niece had gotten up way too early as she was excited. He had no choice, but to be up early as well since she wanted him to share in her enthusiasm. They started off the day with waffles, covered by strawberries, whip cream, and some syrup. Qrow had spent the better part of the morning napping as his niece played some video games to work off some energy. As it got close to the date time, Ruby decided she needed some extra help.

“Do you think I’m trying too hard?” Ruby asked. Qrow released her hair from the curling iron he had in his hand. He quickly combed his fingers through it, transforming the curl into a wave. When she came to him for the suggestion of the hairstyle, he honestly had no idea what she wanted. 

Thank the Gods for the internet and it’s quick DIY videos. 

“I think you’re overthinking this date.” Qrow told her simply as he began to curl the next section of hair. “I know you’re not much of the dating type, well, not like Yang.” He clarified. Yang was... something else entirely. “But, don’t you think you’re getting a little too worked up?”

“I just want the date to be perfect.”

“Ruby, you realise who’s going with you right?”

His niece lightly punched as she laughed. “I’m always happy to have you tag along Uncle Qrow. Even if you seem to think that bad luck follows you around.” The two didn’t speak for a bit more until he had finished with her hair. Ruby admired the look before she sent a selfie of the two of them to her dad. Yang immediately started to message her sister with all sorts of compliments. Ruby ate up the praise in a humble manner in her messages, although behind the screen the prideful side of her definitely showed up. He looked back at the time and figured it was about time to take a shower and throw something on that wasn’t covered in stains. He stepped away to leave when he felt a small hand grab his.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m...” She trailed off for a second, her eyes hidden. “I’m really nervous about this date.” 

Qrow crouched down to meet his niece’s face. “What makes her so special compared to everyone else you liked?”

“She’s the first real girlfriend I’ve ever had. And she’s smart, and funny, and absolutely adorable.” Ruby gushed for a second before she quieted down. “And she was one of my best friends before we started dating. And... I really want this to work. Even if it is long-distance.” He had heard a few things about Ruby’s girlfriend that she had for the last couple of months. The two of them had met at Beacon while Ruby was doing an internship up there. The two became fast friends and bonded over their shared awkwardness. They still stayed in contact, even after the two girls decided to go into different things for their future careers. Now, her girlfriend currently lived in Atlas, which limited the time they could spend together. 

By lucky timing, due to her girlfriend’s father having some business in town, she managed to tag along with her father while she simultaneously made plans with Ruby. And lucky for them, it was Valentine’s Day weekend. The mood for their new, young romance was set for them.

“Do you like her?” Qrow asked. Ruby nodded. “Then...that’s all that matters.” She let out her breath slowly as he could see her visibly relax. 

That was all she needed to hear. 

He kissed the side of her head. “Let’s go to this date, yeah?” She nodded as she finished getting ready while Qrow ran off to take a quick shower. 

The trip into Vale city wasn’t too bad. Mainly filled with improvised karaoke and a lot of laughter. As the two walked closer to the rink, he could tell that Ruby was nervous all over again. He gave her a reassuring smile as the skating rink came into view. He didn’t notice anyone else around Ruby’s age, so if the girlfriend was here, she might already be inside. 

“Well, I guess, we should go in.” Ruby said. It seemed that she came to the same conclusion as her uncle. 

“Guess so.” Qrow said. “You ready for me to play the hero on your date if you need help?” 

Ruby laughed. “I think I’ll be okay. Besides, you might have to make conversation with Penny’s chaperone.”

Qrow short circuited. “Her what?” 

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Penny’s dad is caught up in some meetings with the people he’s doing business with? So, I guess like a coworker agreed to chaperone Penny for the date.” 

“Wait, so I have to play nice?” Qrow asked. “Well, so much for the embarrassing uncle speech.” Ruby shot him a glare. He ignored it as they approached the building and entered. Immediately, the pair got their roller skates and headed deeper into the rink to find a place to put their things. Not surprising, the place was filled with a lot of people; mostly couples that decided to have a normal fun time. 

They locked their things up in a locker while Ruby sent one last message to her girlfriend asking for her whereabouts. The two started to lace up their skates when he heard footsteps rapidly approach. He didn’t have the opportunity to even look up before his niece was knocked from the bench. A blur of green and orange was the only thing he did see. 

“You’re here!” He heard a female voice cheer excitedly. “You’re really here!” 

Slowly the two girls sat up, and Qrow could see who was presumably Penny a lot more clearly. Long, curled up red hair cascaded down to her lower back. She had a green dress with black tights on. Not at all that different from Ruby’s choice in attire from her ruffled skirt, black long sleeve blouse, and knee high rose patterned socks. The two certainly had the same sense of style. 

“Of course I’m here Penny. Why wouldn’t I be?” The two hugged tightly. Slowly the two stood up as Ruby finished putting on her shoes. “Penny, this is my Uncle Qrow.” She introduced. 

“Oh! You’re the uncle I’ve heard so much about!” Penny stated excitedly. 

“Should I be terrified?”

“All good things!” Penny reassured. “Ruby never speaks ill of anyone, unless they cheat at uno, but it’s rare.” 

“Oh, so you’ve definitely heard of me.”

“Are you finally admitting to your cheating ways!” Ruby demanded.

“I don’t cheat kid. You just suck.” He stuck his tongue out at her as she tried to yank his hair. 

A completely normal occurrence for an uncle and his niece. 

Penny simply watched as the two dark haired people in front of her teasingly argued, with Ruby vowing to one day defeat her uncle. Penny seemed to suddenly remember something as she looked towards the rink. A sheepish smile on her face. Another figure approached as Penny stood closer to the other figure. 

“Ruby. Mr. Branwen-”

“It’s Qrow, kid.”

“Ruby. Qrow.” Penny started over. “This is my chaperone for the evening, Mr. Clover Ebi.” The young girl introduced. Next to her, stood a tall, broad shouldered man with short brown hair with the unique colored teal eyes. The man wore a white sleeveless hoodie paired with a pair of sweats and his own roller skates. Tan skin with a hint of freckles on his face. And one hell of a smile.

In short, he was Qrow’s type. 

Shit.

“Nice to meet you Clover.” Ruby stuck her hand out for the other man. “I’m Ruby Rose, Penny’s girlfriend.”

“Pleasure to meet you Miss Rose.” He shook her hand as she giggled. 

“Uncle Qrow, he calls me Miss Rose.” 

“I told you Ruby. Atlesians are a whole other breed.” The two giggled at their little inside joke as he finished lacing up his skates. “Well, kids, are you skating or what?” Ruby grabbed Penny by the hand as the two quickly made their way to the rink. 

“Well, those two seem excited.” Clover pointed out. 

“It’s a first date thing.” Qrow said casually. “Alright Lucky Shrimp, time to keep me company.” 

Clover raised an eyebrow. “Lucky Shrimp?”

“That’s your name isn’t it?”

“....I hate that I can’t technically deny that.” Qrow couldn’t help but howl with laughter at the remark. 

The two made their way onto the rink and after a few seconds of letting the skates dictate their path, soon the adults started to push off together. Qrow stuck his hands in the pockets of his hooded leather jacket as he skated along. Last thing he needed was some kid to take his arm off. The other man skated quietly next to him, every now and then shooting a glance towards Penny and Ruby. 

With Qrow’s darker choice in clothing versus Clover’s brighter colors, they were an odd pair to be found skating together. And other people seemed to realise it too as several people shot the two men weird looks. Qrow supposed it was the same way people would view a vampire hanging out with a werewolf. Not at all predicted, but somehow not disturbing enough to make a big deal about it.

“So,” Qrow started. “How did you end up on babysitting duty?”

“It was a combination of Pietro begging me and Penny attempting to bribe me.” Clover answered. 

“Bribe? You? With what?”

“Not sure.” The brunette admitted. “She spoke too fast for me to understand.” 

“I thought Atlesians didn’t take bribes.” Qrow teased.

“We do if it involves the word vacation.” The two men howled at that. “Yeah, I think Penny just got a little too excited about things to where she couldn’t quite form the words. It all became mashed gibberish.”

Qrow snorted. “Yeah, Ruby will do that too sometimes. Those two are honestly made for each other.” He glanced over at his niece who animatedly chatted away with her girlfriend. Not holding hands, but their fingers lightly touched one another. “So, Pietro is Penny’s dad?” Clover nodded his head. “Sounds like he really twisted your arm to get you to come here.”

Clover shook his head. “Nah. Nothing like that. He and I go way back, so I was more than happy to tag along.” The green eyed man explained. “To be honest, I thought I was going to be third-wheeling on this date.”

“You and me both.” 

“How did you end up being here?” Clover asked. 

“Ruby’s dad is a little on the protective side. So, he asked me to tag along to make sure Ruby would be safe.” Qrow explained. The other man nodded in understanding. 

The two continued on like that. Skated away as they made conversation about anything that came to mind. They would both occasionally make sure that their respective charges were still around and that everything was going well. Of course, the two young girls paid no attention to their respective chaperones as young sweethearts only had eyes for each other. 

“Alright folks!” A voice cut in overhead once the song that played ended. “It’s time something a little bit slower. Just for our couples tonight!” Several cheers sounded from the crowd that had gathered. “So, you single people need to get off the floor and let the lovers have their time.” Almost immediately, people started to skate off the floor. A few people slipped on their way out, which made Qrow snicker a bit. 

“We should probably head off the floor.” Clover beckoned to Qrow as an exit off the floor was close. Qrow nodded in agreement as the two made their way off the floor and stood by one of the railings. 

Ruby and Penny were still on the floor, as they skated slowly. The song that played overhead was an old song that played when Qrow himself was in high school. He watched as the two conversed, there still seemed to be that shy barrier between the two, but it was first date jitters. He wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of the night, the two of them would refuse to part. 

“So, looks like the couples are going to have quite a few songs to themselves.” Clover spoke suddenly from next to him. 

“We might be here awhile.”

“We could sit down and drink something while they have their time.” Clover suggested. A little wink at the tail end of the sentence. 

_Well, then._ “Pop actually sounds pretty great right now.” As the two men left the railing, Qrow gave one more glance over his shoulder to his niece. 

_Kid, if you were waiting for me to stop watching, now’s your chance._

* * *

“And then there was the poor three-legged cat that stumbled into my father’s workshop.” Penny began. “The poor thing was freezing and father didn’t think it would survive the night. Luckily, Keylime made it through.” 

“I was wondering where all the new pictures about the new cat came from.” Ruby admitted. While she had noticed her girlfriend had posted more about the new animal friend, she didn’t ask about it. She figured Penny would tell her sooner or later. 

It’s even better that she was told in person.

“She is now my pride and joy.” Penny boasted. “I will love her until the end of time.” Ruby could only laugh at her girlfriend’s dedication. Once Penny got attached to something, it was impossible to take it away from her. Not that Ruby would ever do that. 

Ruby would give Penny everything she had if she could. 

The song switched to an even slower song. Ruby recognized it from her mother’s old playlists. Every now and then, she would catch her uncle or sister listening to them. Songs about love, about cherishing those close to you. They always struck a chord with her in moments of peace. 

Especially now.

Ruby offered her hand to Penny. The ginger haired girl looked at it before sheepishly accepting the hand. Their fingers intertwined with each other as Ruby placed her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. Their feet in sync as they skated gracefully together. It was almost like something out of a movie. 

“I’m really glad we were able to go on this date.” Ruby confessed. 

“I am, too.” Penny admitted softly. “I was nervous about this date.”

“You were?” With how Penny had tackled her, she assumed she was the only nervous one between the two. Apparently, she was wrong. Which made her feel a lot better. 

Penny nodded. “I thought that maybe I would talk too much and that you would get annoyed with me.”

“Penny, we’ve been friends for a long time. Why would something like that suddenly change because we’re dating?”

“I read somewhere that things can change when you get into a relationship.” Penny said. “I guess, I was just afraid that things would change between us.”

Ruby shook her head at girlfriend. “Things aren’t going to change between us Penny. I promise.”

“How can you promise that?”

“Do you like me?” Penny nodded. “Do you like us being in a relationship?”

“Of course!”

“Then...that’s all that matters. We’ll figure out things in between as we go on.” Ruby reassured as her girlfriend excitedly hugged her. Unfortunately, this caused Ruby to lose her balance as the two girls plummeted onto the floor. A few people laughed, but a few others offered to help the two girls up. 

“Perhaps, I should save my enthusiasm for when we’re off the skates.” Penny stated as Ruby giggled. 

“Penny, have I ever told you how adorable you are?”

“At least eighty-four times, but I would like to hear it some more.” Penny replied, her green eyes bright. The two continued to skate for a few more songs before Ruby decided she needed something to drink. 

The two skated off the rink, hand in hand as they entered the carpeted floor. Ruby looked around and realised that she didn’t her uncle or Penny’s chaperone. She looked back on the rink and didn’t see them there either. She doubted they would have been there since she swore she saw her uncle close to the railing when the couples time was announced. 

“I see that our chaperones have become friends.” Penny’s voice cut through the shorter girl’s thoughts as pointed to the two men sitting at a booth on the far side of the rink. The two of them were seated at a table, drinks in hand as they chatted away. Her uncle seemed to be enjoying a small game of cards shared between the two. 

Qrow was also smiling a lot more than usual.

“Very, good friends.” Ruby turned to face her girlfriend. A knowing smirk mirrored on her face. “Maybe, we should all go out to dinner and a movie now?”

“That sounds absolutely splendid.”

The pair skated over to the other pair. Navigating on skates and other children proved to be a difficult task. Especially with how packed the skating rink was. As they got closer, Ruby could only catch the tail end of the conversation. 

“-shouldn’t deflect like that.”

“Is it deflection if it’s humor?”

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit here.” Clover said. He took a sip out of his drink. “Try seeing things from an unbiased outside perspective. Maybe, you’ll get what I’m saying.”

Her uncle scoffed. “I’ll take your word for it.” Ruby knew her uncle better than most people. She knew that some of those words he had taken to heart. 

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby exclaimed as her and Penny successfully got close enough for the two men to notice. 

“Well hey, what are you two doing here?” 

“We wondered if the possibility of watching movies and having dinner was an option.” Penny sweetly asked. 

Qrow pulled out his phone. “Well, we’ve been here for a couple of hours, we could go out to dinner. I don’t know about a movie though since we’d have to go to the late showings.” Qrow reasoned. Ruby swiped her uncle’s drink from him as she took a large swig of it. Her uncle raised an eyebrow at her, but did nothing. 

“And your father did want you back before eleven.” Clover reminded her. “Not sure we’ll be able to fit both things for the night.”

“Maybe, you can convince him?” Penny pouted. “After all, he let me go on this date so long as you were with me.” 

“I don’t know....”

“Clover was telling me that you guys will be in town for the next couple of days.” Qrow cut-in. “Maybe you two could watch a movie tomorrow at the house?”

“Oh! Penny, that means I can show my video game collection up close!” Ruby exclaimed. 

“Those terms seem much more acceptable.” Penny agreed. Ruby rejoiced in the idea. “Can we do that?”

“You’ll have to ask your father, but I doubt he’ll say no.” Clover stated. “He might even join you if he can.”

“Perfect!” The two girls cheered. The older men smiled at their enthusiasm. 

Qrow cleared his throat. “So, dinner?” Ruby’s stomach growled loudly in response. “Okay, we should probably feed the kraken.”

“Uncle Qrow, please!” The majority of the group laughed as the dark haired girl buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment.

The four of them turned in their shoes and gathered their things from the lockers. The party headed out from the rink as they all tried to figure out where to eat. There were mixed opinions on the matter.

“No pizza.” Clover insisted.

“What kind of a heathen are you?” Qrow shot back. “Pizza is always a good place to go to after roller skating.” 

“I’m lactose intolerant.”

“Okay? Get a beef pizza then.” Qrow said as Clover laughed. Ruby and Penny walked in front of the two males. They watched the two adults interact over their shoulders. While the debate about where they would go to eat was somewhat serious, the banter was teasing. More than enough times did Ruby catch her uncle shyly looking away from the other man. She also noticed the winks and flirty nature that came from Clover. 

Maybe, this could be a great first date for him too. 

“Why don’t we go to the taco stand?” Ruby suggested. “They always have a good selection.” There was a momentary pause as the two men looked at each other. 

“Tacos sound good.” They both agreed. 

* * *

Out of all the things to happen this evening, genuinely having a good time with someone outside of family wasn’t what he expected. Things seemed to be going well between Ruby and Penny as the two now held hands. They hadn’t stopped giggling with each other since they had left the skating rink. Qrow found himself absolutely enjoying the company of one Clover Ebi and he could tell that it was mutual.

For some strange reason.

“Lucky Charm, no offense, but you look like you’re about to die.” Qrow observed out loud. 

“No...” Clover huffed a little. “I’m doing just fine.”

“I told you that the green salsa was going to kill you. You should have gone with the red sauce.”

“You took the green sauce too!” Clover argued. “How are you any different?”

“Because I’ve been eating spicy foods since before I could walk.” Qrow stifled a laugh after another look at the man. Tan skin had flushed red as the other man tried to hide his sniffles. “You should have taken my advice.”

“I can handle this.”

“Judging by your reaction, Clover. I do not believe you are handling the green salsa very well.” Penny stated. Qrow and Ruby burst out in laughter on that one. Clover finally admitted defeat, and after a few sips from his drink, he started to use the red sauce for his tacos as opposed to the green sauce. 

“Red suits you better anyway.” Qrow muttered. 

Clover snorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He felt a smirk creep onto his face that he quickly tried to hide with another bite to his taco. 

The evening continued on nicely enough. Penny and Ruby had decided to have an impromptu photoshoot in the park. This included cute pictures of the girls that had Qrow’s heart almost melt. The young couple had made the heart symbol with their arms, kisses on the cheek to each other, silly photos that Taiyang would definitely be over the moon about. Things only got more wild as the two girls invited their respective chaperones to join in on the fun. At one point, Ruby was on his shoulders while Penny was on Clover’s. They stood close to each other while Ruby snuck in a quick peck on the cheek to her girlfriend before the photo was snapped. 

Penny’s face had turned about as red as her hair.

The night ended with the couple saying goodbye to each other at the ferry. The last ferry back to Patch would be leaving soon and Qrow didn’t feel like being stranded in the city for the night. The two girls were saying goodbye to each other off to the side as Clover slowly took his place next to Qrow. 

“So...” The brunette began. “Tonight was fun.”

“Yeah, it was.” Qrow agreed. “Definitely not the bore I expected it to be.” 

“Penny will no doubt want to spend tomorrow night with your niece.”

“I did give them that idea didn’t I?” Qrow remembered his words from earlier. “I’m sure until Penny goes back, her and Ruby will be spending as much time together as they can. It’s too bad Tai won’t meet her this time around.” 

“There’s always next time.” Clover pointed out. “But also, since Penny’s going to your house tomorrow...” Qrow raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t mind if I tagged along and maybe spent some more time with you?”

“You asking me out on a date?”

Clover chuckled. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.” 

Qrow gave a small laugh. “You know, there’s a coffee shop in Patch that I know. It’s really good. While the girls watch their movie, you and I can go there. Just us. Unless, you don’t trust the girls.”

“I trust Penny just fine. Besides, your niece doesn’t look like the type to destroy a building. I’ll trust at least that.” 

“Well then. Looks like we got ourselves our coffee date.” Qrow said as the siren for the ferry sounded. “And, that’s our cue to go. See you tomorrow.” He motioned for Ruby to really say goodbye as he began to step away from Clover. They all waved goodbye to each other as the ferry departed and soon it was just Ruby and Qrow by themselves on the ferry with a couple of other passengers. 

“So....” Ruby smiled sweetly at him. “What did you think?”

“Penny seems like a nice girl. Not sure why you were so nervous, you two are cut from the same cloth.” Qrow listed his observations about the young girl. “She’s pretty funny, I like her.”

“Aww. Thanks Uncle Qrow.” The small girl hugged her uncle. “So, what about Clover?”

“What about Clover?”

Ruby sighed. “Come on, Uncle Qrow. You really didn’t think that Penny and I noticed you guys flirting with each other all night?”

“Oh...um. We actually have a date tomorrow.”

Ruby gasped. “When?!”

“While you and Penny watch your movie.” He could just see the light shine in Ruby’s eyes. “Fair warning. I’m not telling your dad about this, so you better not snitch or that’s the last time you ever get to have alone time with your girlfriend. So, I’m trusting you to not fuck this up.” Ruby laughed.

“So,” She paused. “Do you like him alot?”

“Yeah. I do.”

“Then, that’s all that matters.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey yall! Happy Valentine's Day! I hope yall have a lovely day and to remember that this is also a valid day to spend time with friends and to eat lots of chocolate. 
> 
> Sincerly, 
> 
> The author that's single as a pringle and just wants chocolate.


End file.
